Main Street Media's Plainville Times to merge with Stockton Sentinel

Feb 17, 2026

PLAINVILLE, Kansas – Effective Dec. 26, 2025, Main Street Media (MSM) has reached an agreement to transition ownership of The Plainville Times to Stockton Sentinel LLC, owned by Stockton residents Bart Hamilton and Susan (Hamilton) Schneider.

This transition paves the way for The Plainville Times to merge with the Stockton Sentinel, forming a unified newspaper dedicated to serving Rooks County, including the communities of Plainville, Stockton, Palco, Zurich, Damar and Woodston.

“Our goal in bringing the two newspapers together is to strengthen local journalism and better serve every community in the county,” co-owners Hamilton and Schneider said. “By uniting into one county-wide paper, we can pool our resources, expand our reach and ensure that readers and advertisers alike get more value. Especially for our advertisers, this means a bigger audience with one placement — no more paying for the same ad twice just to reach the whole county. It’s a win for local businesses and a win for local news,” they added.

Hamilton and Schneider continued, “We know how much the hometown newspaper has meant to the Plainville community, and we don’t take that lightly. By bringing our papers together, our goal is to preserve local journalism in this county — not diminish it. With support from readers and businesses, we fully intend to continue covering the Rooks County communities with the attention and care they deserve.”

Frank Mercer, publisher of MSM, said, “We believe that this merger is the best possible way to keep a strong newspaper serving Rooks County far into the future. Bart and Susan have a long family history in the industry and take seriously the importance of newspapers in small communities.”

The December 25 issue was the final stand-alone edition of The Plainville Times. Beginning January 2026, Times’ readers have begun to see the transitioning of Plainville-area news to the Stockton Sentinel, ensuring continued access to trusted local reporting.

Dirks, Van Essen & April, a media merger and acquisition firm based in Santa Fe, New Mexico, represented Main Street Media in the transaction. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

About Main Street Media

For decades, Main Street Media (MSM) has been the heartbeat of small-town news, ensuring that local voices are heard, stories are told and communities stay connected. MSM continues to operate 22 newspapers across Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska.

About Stockton Sentinel LLC

Stockton Sentinel LLC is owned and operated by the brother-sister team of Bart Hamilton and Susan (Hamilton) Schneider, both of whom grew up in the newspaper industry. The family’s roots in Stockton’s newspaper business date back to 1931, marking an unbroken 94-year tradition of serving the community. As they enter their 95th year, the Hamiltons continue their legacy as the sole family to have operated Stockton’s newspaper for nearly a century. Since its founding in 1989, the Sentinel has built a strong reputation for community-focused journalism, dedicated local coverage, and an unwavering commitment to preserving the stories and civic life of Rooks County.